Introduction to Criminology
Self-paced online Introduction to Criminology course (Criminology 150). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
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Florida's officer salary incentive: $30 and $80 a month explained
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Florida officer salary incentive amounts are set in s. 943.22, Fla. Stat.: $30 a month for a community college degree or equivalent, $50 more for a bachelor's degree, and up to $120 for career development training. All of it together is capped at $130 a month, and nothing is paid retroactively.
The three payments
The statute sets three separate payments. Two are for education and one is for training. You can earn more than one, up to the cap.
| Payment | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Community college degree or equivalent | $30 | $360 |
| Bachelor's degree (in addition) | $50 | $600 |
| Education total | $80 | $960 |
| Career development training | Up to $120 | Up to $1,440 |
| Cap on everything | $130 | $1,560 |
Why $80 is the education figure
People often say the bachelor's pays $80. More exactly, the statute pays $30 for the associate level and an additional $50 for the bachelor's. An officer with a bachelor's therefore receives $80 a month for education. If you have a bachelor's but no separate associate, ask your agency how it reports the two levels.
The $130 cap
Section 943.22(2)(e) caps the total any full-time officer may receive under the section at $130 a month. Education ($80) plus training ($120) would be $200, so an officer who has both reaches the cap. For an officer already receiving the full training incentive, the associate level may add only part of its $30. Ask your agency to show you where you stand before you plan around the money.
Who is left out
Some officers do not receive the education payment at all.
- Positions whose class specification requires a 4-year degree or higher
- Senior Management Service employees
- Anyone hoping for back pay: payments are not retroactive
Is it worth it?
On its own, $360 to $960 a year is modest. The value is that it is permanent and that many agencies add their own degree pay, promotion points or eligibility for specialist roles. Those agency rules are separate from the state program; ask your agency for them in writing.
If you already have some college or academy credit, the hours you still need may be few. That changes the maths more than the monthly figure does.
A worked example
Take an officer with an academy certificate and 30 college hours from years ago. The state program pays nothing for those 30 hours on their own. Once the officer reaches 60 semester hours that make them eligible for an associate degree at one accredited college, the $30 a month starts from when the agency processes it. If the same officer later finishes a bachelor's, the education figure rises to $80 a month.
If that officer also holds the full $120 training incentive, the $130 cap means education adds only $10 a month on top. That is why the first question to your agency should be what you receive today and how much room is left under the cap.
None of this changes how a college counts credit. The agency checks a transcript from an accredited institution; the college decides what sits on that transcript. UPI Study courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended and reach a college via a college transcript. UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited, so ask the college and your agency in writing before you rely on any course for the incentive.
- Step 1: ask your agency what you receive now
- Step 2: work out the room under the $130 cap
- Step 3: ask one college how many hours you still need for associate eligibility
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask your agency's training or HR office in writing which transcript it accepts for the salary incentive, and ask your college in writing which courses it will place in your degree plan, before you enrol.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Do the amounts change each year?
They are written into s. 943.22 and change only if the Legislature amends the statute. Check the current statute on the Florida Senate site before relying on the figures, and ask your agency for any local additions.
Can I get the $50 without the $30?
Ask your agency. The statute describes the bachelor's payment as additional to the community college level. Agencies report education to the Commission, and their HR office can tell you how a bachelor's without a separate associate is recorded.
Does the training incentive need college credit?
No. The $120 training incentive is for 480 hours of approved career development courses, not college credit. It counts toward the same $130 cap as the education payments, which is why the two need to be planned together.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Introduction to Psychology
Self-paced online Introduction to Psychology course (Psychology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Criminology, psychology, sociology and composition are all on PRO. Check with your college and agency first.
Sources
- Florida Statutes s. 943.22: Salary incentive program for full-time officers (official)$30 a month for a community college degree or equivalent; an additional $50 for a bachelor's degree; $120 for 480 hours of career development training; $130 monthly cap; equivalent = 60 semester or 90 quarter hours and eligibility to receive an associate degree; accredited institution defined in (1)(a); no education incentive where the job requires a 4-year degree. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Florida Administrative Code Rule 11B-14.003: Authorized Salary Incentive Payments (official)Rule 11B-14.003, Authorized Salary Incentive Payments, in Chapter 11B-14 (Salary Incentive Program), last amended effective 5 May 2020. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.